By Jim Bebbington
The Korn Ferry stop at TPC Colorado is three weeks away and promoters gathered Tuesday to make it clear the course and tournament is ready.
The Blue Championship sponsored by Blue Federal Credit Union is July 9 to 12 and players will again compete across the longest course on the Korn Ferry schedule.
TPC Colorado, in Berthoud, has hosted a Korn Ferry stop every year since 2019 and the course runs alongside two reservoirs and a stunning Rocky Mountain backdrop to create one of the most picturesque sites on the tournament schedule.
2025 winner Neil Shipley said in a recorded interview that his win at TPC Colorado gave him the confidence that he could win at the highest level. Shipley is in his first season ont he PGA Tour and is competing in this week’s U.S. Open.
“The PGA Tour is just a little bit different where you really get what you deserve and you’ve got to go and play good and earn it,” he said. “I think (winning in 2025) game me the confidence that I could go out there and beat the best in the world. If you can win twice on the Korn Ferry Tour I feel that just proves that you’re able to go beat your peers at that level and that you’re ready for the next level.”
Last year Shipley stormed out of the gate in the final round and got to 8-under par on the front nine on Sunday to take the lead and hung on for victory. His gallery following grew into the hundreds on Sunday as he made his run.
One of the players expected to compete this year is Chris Korte, who grew up in Aurora and played four seasons at the University of Denver. Korte finished second earlier this year in a Korn Ferry tournament at the Argentina Open and has been playing min-tours and Latin American and Canadian events since turning pro in 2019.
“When you first start playing golf you’re trying to get onto the PGA Tour and that’s the dream but once you turn professional you quickly realize that the Korn Ferry Tour is actually the first stepping stone to achieving that dream,” Korte said Tuesday.
His final round score in Argentina of 61 made this season possible. He is coming off several weeks of rest for a wrist injury, but hopes to finish well enough on the Korn Ferry Tour to earn PGA Tour access next season.
The tournament unveiled a new trophy for this year and is promoting the current crop of Korn Ferry players who are scheduled to play as being as strong as any field in the past.
“This event has seen some incredible talent compete against a breathtaking backdrop over the years,” said Laura Fellwock, the tournament director.
Past tournament fields included Scottie Scheffler, Cam Young, Chris Gotterup and 2020-winner Will Zalatoris.
The tournament is arriving amid high-level discussions by the PGA Tour on schedule changes for 2027 and 2028 that include efforts to bring a regular PGA Tour stop to Colorado, according to reports in many of the national golf publications. Fellwock said it is unclear if those conversations will affect future runnings of the Blue Championship. “We want to make sure that this is the best Korn Ferry Tour event we can and then should those conversations start to include us or things we need to think about down the line we’ll obviously be a part of those,” she said.
“Blue has signed on to be a title sponsor for five years pending everything going well this year; we’re excited to hopefully continue this event and continue to bring golf to the front range and continue to make this a statement event for the Korn Ferry Tour,” Fellwock said.
The tournament has continued its relationship with Denver Children’s Hospital as its primary charity recipient, and a new series of events has been organized for the week around the tournament. Go to thebluechampionship.com for full schedule and ticket information.
Colorado AvidGolfer Magazine is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it, publishing eight issues annually and proudly delivering daily content via coloradoavidgolfer.com.
Colorado native Chris Korte among the field for 2026 Blue Championship By Jim Bebbington The Korn Ferry stop at TPC Colorado is three weeks away and promoters gathered Tuesday to make it clear the course and tournament is ready. The Blue Championship sponsored by Blue Federal Credit Union is July 9 to 12 and players
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